October 04, 2023

QUICK HITS

• The reason why the Air Force pulled the plug on a huge cyber contract may surprise you: Air Combat Command terminates $5B buy.

• House Speaker Kevin McCarthy ousted, after vacate vote: Leadership path forward for Republican majority unclear.

• DOD, NASA, GSA team up to define cybersecurity reporting rules: Two proposed rules would promote incident reporting harmonization.

DEFENSE & AEROSPACE

SpaceX providing Starlink services to DOD under “unique terms and conditions.”

A $70 million contract the U.S. Space Force awarded to SpaceX for Starlink internet services includes “unique terms and conditions” not included in previous commercial contracts. A spokesperson for the Space Systems Command said a one-year task order was awarded to SpaceX Sept. 1 for the procurement of Starlink internet services but also lays out other unspecified requirements set by DOD. Read more

Say it ain’t so: Space Force goal of a multi-vendor space network is called “impractical.”

A plan floated by military agencies to connect commercial and government satellite networks into a “hybrid” space architecture seems impractical, industry executives said. The concept, sometimes referred to as the “outernet,” has been embraced by the U.S. Space Force and the DIU. The idea is that, in a hybrid network, communication would flow seamlessly across disparate government and commercial systems. Read more

Navy’s 2-year-old robot task force eyes more AI.

Two years ago, the U.S. Navy’s Task Force 59 began its sprint toward a hybrid manned-unmanned fleet, bucking acquisition norms as it wrung out new ideas and new uncrewed systems and passed them to 5th Fleet operators. Now its concepts are spreading to other commands, even as TF59 continues to push new boundaries in AI and other technologies. Read more

ICYMI Snippets

• Navy's unmanned task force to close down with the arrival of new disruptive capabilities office.

• NATO's Dynamic Messenger test uses 5G mesh to link underwater drones.

• Military space groups in New Mexico expand recruitment and STEM.

• Commentary: Coalition warfare requires coalition software.

• Opinion: Space Force can bolster Greenland ties by buying local for Artic base.

Defense Contract Awards

• AFRL awards 3 contractors design contracts for nuclear powered spacecraft JETSON.

• Lockheed secures $1.2B Navy contract modification for Trident II Missile Production.

• Seven companies win spots on $476M NASA Commercial Smallsat Data contract.

• Xage Security wins $17M cybersecurity contract with Space Force.

Follow the Defense Leaders

• V2X hires RTX veteran as CFO.

• Townes-Whitley becomes SAIC’s new leader.

• Former Microsoft exec joins Enlightenment Capital-backed Agile Defense as CEO.

• Spirit AeroSystems elevates board member to acting president, CEO role.

Defense Job Openings

• U.S. Army Reserve Command seeks a new Chief of Staff.

• U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research needs a new Research Director.

INTEL COMMUNITY

DHS looks to AI to help solve child abuse cases.

An interagency collaboration within DHS is tapping AI/ML capabilities to put an end to child abuse cases and make it easier for law enforcement to discover, stop, and prosecute child sexual abuse cases. Read more

ICYMI Snippets

• Former DCSA Director Bill Lietzau honored, Daniel Lecce installed as Acting Director in a transfer of authority ceremony.

• Fight over DHS contracts moves to court.

• ITC Federal awarded $29M DOJ IT services contract.

• OCT Consulting snags $8M DOJ BPA.

• Sources Sought: DIA seeks support with PAI tools research.

• IARPA posts SoURCE CODE draft BAA. Proposer’s Day Oct 5.

CIVILIAN

Flying cars may soon be a thing if NASA gets autonomous flight technology off the ground.

The nation's transportation may soon adopt air taxis if NASA can figure out how to get fully autonomous flight technology off the ground. Currently, a NASA study team is evaluating how autonomous software can work with flight navigation tools, investigating how pilots interact with flight navigation technology. Read more

House passes bill to relax education requirements for cyber feds.

Queue the Pink Floyd: Federal agencies wouldn’t be able to place minimum education requirements on cybersecurity jobs — unless required by law — under a bipartisan bill passed by the House. The Modernizing the Acquisition of Cybersecurity Experts Act, or MACE Act, (H.R. 4502) is aimed at addressing shortages in federal cybersecurity positions by expanding the pool of eligible applicants and passed easily in a 394-1 vote. Read more

How AI can help with better OMB guidance.

Improving “spotty” AI use case inventories for federal agencies could help inform OMB's process of creating guidance for government use of the technology, according to an ex-White House official who worked on the executive order that established those disclosures. Read more

ICYMI Snippets

• Senators push USPS for identity proofing to thwart AI-generated deepfakes.

• USDA unveils a pair of cloud solicitations. Check out Pool 2 here and Pool 3 here.

• ARPA-H announces up to $50M to six health data security projects.

• Corrections officers at 8 federal prisons cleared for bonuses.

• GAO urges EPA to make a plan for its “difficult” and “outdated” air quality IT systems.

Civilian Contracts Awards

• Titan Alpha receives $24M for VA integrated healthcare transformation task.

• KPMG won a $9M HUD OCIO IRA IT Portfolio Strategy and Management Support Services contract.

• Sourcelab won a $1M NPS App Support Services contract. Bet that’s a fun one to work on!

Follow Civilian Leaders

• There’s a new CTO at Webworld Technologies Inc. (WTI).

• Industry veteran named Michael Baker VP.

Civilian Job Openings

• USDA's Forest Service seeks a Director, Lands Management Staff.

M&A CORNER

Booz Allen invests in AI security startup Hidden Layer.

Booz Allen Hamilton, one of the largest U.S. defense contractors, said it invested in HiddenLayer, a smaller company specializing in digital defenses of artificial intelligence and sensitive networks. While Booz Allen did not specify how much it spent, or exactly when the deal was completed, it did say the move was made to bolster its adversarial AI portfolio, which aims to shield the increasingly popular algorithms and applications from malign manipulation. Read more

TPG closes purchase of Forcepoint’s gov’t cyber biz.

TPG has finalized its acquisition of Forcepoint’s government-focused cybersecurity unit from investment firm Francisco Partners and appointed technology industry leader Sean Berg as CEO of the newly acquired business. Read more

SHOWER THOUGHTS 🚿

Why did this top Pentagon official hold court with a Libyan warlord?

Last week, four-star chief of U.S. Africa Command Gen. Michael Langley met with one of the most notorious warlords in Libya "to further cooperation between the United States and Libya." Read more

How many F-35 versions are there? Hint: more than 3.

The F-35 program, pitched as a way to equip three services with one largely similar aircraft, has now produced “at least 14 different versions” of the Lightning II, according to a report from a government watchdog agency. Read more

How much can you get fined for trashing up space?

The FCC doled out a first-of-its-kind fine to Dish Network for failing to uphold a debris mitigation plan for its EchoStar-7 satellite. Dish will now pay $150,000 and implement various measures to ensure that its other satellites don’t meet the same fate. The penalty may be a sign of things to come, both the increased scrutiny from the FCC and the need for it, due to the rapidly growing amount of space debris up there. Read more

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